Pastor Disaster: Confronting the Growing Crisis Among Church Leaders

By John Opalewski

A Category 5 hurricane is battering the Church. A swirling storm of burnout among pastors and spiritual leaders is brewing right under our noses. The eye wall has hit land. The storm surge threatens to drown out the Church’s collective voice and dilute its influence in our culture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Mar 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9780989054614

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SECTION 1

THE PASTOR'S PERSONAL LIFE

Section 1 focuses on the pastor's personal life. A lack of health here negatively impacts every part of his life. On the other hand, health in spirit, mind, emotions and relationships has a positive influence in every area, including his ministry. If a leader has nothing deposited in his emotional bank account, it will be next to impossible to give to others.

With that in mind, Section 1 will cover:

• The current leadership landscape as it relates to a minister's health and longevity

• Factors that contribute to the uniqueness of a pastor's call

• The emotional infrastructure required to maintain health

• How to recognize the warning signs of burnout and depression

• Avoiding traps that hinder the recovery process

1

A BROKEN MODEL

I attended a Christian university in preparation for ministry. In the months leading up to my first semester, I entertained visions of a school where all of my schoolmates and professors loved God, were full of the Spirit and mature in character. I am embarrassed to admit I had mental images of groups of students sitting in circles across the campus worshipping the Lord together. I was shocked into reality by the third week of my first semester. One of the students on my dorm floor was thrown out of school for selling drugs. At that moment I realized Christian college wasn't heaven on earth. I had been naïve.

Some church members possess a similarly naïve view of pastors. They mistakenly believe that since he is doing the Lord's work, pastoral life is a charmed life. That somehow ministers are immune from the normal wear and tear of living in a fallen world. Allow me to burst their bubble.

Statistics regarding pastoral health vary widely. Depending on the source, it is estimated that:

• More than 1000 pastors leave the ministry every month. The main drivers are burnout, contention with church members, or moral failure.

• Approximately 4 out of 10 pastors suffer from depression. The news is even worse for their spouses – 5 out of 10. Unfortunately the dark cloud of depression often parks itself over pastoral married couples.

• 50-80% of graduates from Bible seminary who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within 5 years.

• The vast majority of pastors' spouses report that the ministry has produced a negative impact on their families.

• A large percentage of pastors report that they have no close personal friends.

According to The Barna Group:

• Church studies show that church-goers expect their pastor to juggle an average of 16 major tasks¹

• The average pastor lasts only five years at a church²

• Only one out of seven Senior Pastors (14%) say they are effective at thinking and acting strategically³

Shangri-La the ministry is not. The reality is ministers as a collective whole are in trouble. The mind-boggling statistics serve as a wake-up call to the Church.

What conclusions should we draw from these alarming numbers?

1. That the current generation of pastors simply must not be as deeply committed to God as their forerunners? This conclusion is simplistic and shifts blame away from the real contributors. The majority of pastors I meet with have genuine commitment to and love for the Lord.

2. That 21st century pastors must not be as committed to the cause as their pastoral predecessors? Perhaps, but again not likely. Statistics show the amount of hours worked by pastors is considerably more than the national average. Most of the pastors I know work far more than 50 hours a week. Many of them put in 60-70 hours weekly. We will deal with that problem later ...

3. That longevity and health for a pastor is a lost cause and we simply must accept the statistics as an inevitable outcome of their calling? Do we give way to the idea that depression, burnout and anxiety are part of the pastoral package and are unavoidable? I reject that line of thinking.

HOW MUCH MORE PERSONAL AND RELATIONAL WRECKAGE NEEDS TO OCCUR UNTIL WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SOMETHING IS AMISS ABOUT THE WAY WE DO MINISTRY?

4. That the popular model adopted by many pastors is woefully inadequate in light of our generation's unique challenges and pressures? It is my belief these sobering statistics are evidence that the current model put forth for and followed by many pastors is seriously broken. How much more personal and relational wreckage needs to occur until we acknowledge that something is amiss about the way we do ministry? If 50-80% of seminary graduates who enter the ministry leave the ministry within the first five years, our approach to training men and women for the real life rigors of leadership is somehow missing the mark. God's work done His way does not exempt a leader from struggles and challenges, but it does encourage conditions that set the table for a longer and healthier leadership run.

Some churches attempt to address the unique pressures of ministry by holding pastor appreciation days, weeks, or months. These are kind and thoughtful gestures but they do not address the root issues which contribute to the statistics listed at the beginning of this chapter. The challenge at hand requires more than cosmetic repair.

Longevity in ministry is proving elusive. It requires understanding from pastors, church boards and congregations. It demands a healthy, biblical leadership paradigm. Before we begin rolling out a different model, let's consider first what contributes to the wreckage highlighted earlier in this chapter.

I have been asked many times What is so tough about being a pastor? Why is it such a difficult job? Don't they only work on Sundays? My reply has been I'm not sure I can describe it well enough for you. You almost have to experience it yourself to understand the unique pressures of the role.

With that said allow me to try to open up a pastor's world to those of you who are reading this book but not serving in pastoral leadership. Here are some contributors to the alarming statistics:

1. Difficulty in achieving separation from the pressures and responsibilities of ministry. On most days, I disconnect from my job in the business world as soon as my foot hits the sidewalk outside of our office building. I have learned how to build the Great Wall of China between work and my personal life. Disconnecting from work is not as clear-cut for a minister. Most people do not understand this. When I was a pastor – especially during my years as a lead – disconnecting from work proved next to impossible for me. The underlying pressure of pastoral responsibility was always there, whether I was aware of it or not. The unrelenting nature of the role can wear down even the finest leader, but do not despair... we will learn later how to deal with this challenge.

THE WEAR AND TEAR OF SUSTAINED ENEMY ATTACK IS REAL, OFTEN UNRECOGNIZED AND ALMOST ALWAYS UNDERESTIMATED.

2. Spiritual warfare. Spiritual leaders are the devil's primary target. I am not suggesting they are the only ones who fight spiritual battles. Every Christian locks horns with Satan periodically. I am also not implying that the negative statistics listed earlier are the sole result of the devil's work. On the contrary, most of the negative impacts are simply the result of ignorance on the part of the pastor, the church board and the local congregation. But the devil is an opportunist who understands if he takes out a leader, he most likely will devastate and demoralize a significant number of that leader's followers. Jesus said in Mark 14:27 – It is written – strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. The devil understands this principle. Consequently, he appears to concentrate a high percentage of his attacks on leadership. The wear and tear of sustained enemy attack is real, often unrecognized and almost always underestimated.

3. The increasing dysfunction in society. Society's growing dysfunction has spilled over into the Church. The complexity, variety and sheer number of problems pastors deal with are increasing dramatically. Unfortunately, the Church often looks and acts much like those who are not Jesus-followers.

Although the Bible is full of warnings about the power of our words, many Christians see no problem with gossip – especially about their leader – often unaware of the devastating impact they create. The lack of spiritual foundation and training that the majority of un-churched people bring with them into a congregation taxes a leader's limited time and resources. The increased dysfunction in the church family places tremendous strain on the pastor's schedule and energy.

4. The drain of counseling. A fair chunk of a pastor's counseling is sought by people who have no interest in changing their behavior. Instead their intent – whether they are aware of it or not - is to get the pastor to rubber-stamp the course of action they have already determined to take before they ever entered his office for counseling.

After a few years of pastoral counseling, I finally learned to identify this dynamic and would limit the amount of time spent with this type of counselee. After the first or second session I would refer them to a licensed professional. Counseling for people with this mindset was more effective when they had to pay for a professional counselor than when it was offered free of charge. People tend to remain stuck if they have no investment in their healing. It is amazing how quickly some of them recover when they have to make a financial investment in their counseling.

A note to pastors here: It is important for you to understand the difference between pastoral and therapeutic